The car's new batteries have not changed in size, but they weigh slightly more. Hence zero to hundred is 0.1 second slower at 7.3 seconds (which is still fairly quick).

Expected to arrive in Singapore by year-end, this longer-range i3 should be good enough for drives to nearby Malaysian towns such as Malacca and Mersing.

GTI Clubsport S breaks track record

Volkswagen's 306bhp Golf GTI Clubsport S has become the fastest front-wheel-drive car on the Nurburgring.

The steroidal hatch clocked a time of 7 minutes 49.21 seconds in a lap early this week, beating the previous front-wheel record holder, the Honda Civic Type R, by 1.4 seconds.

Driven by race car driver Benjamin Leuchter, 28, the car was fitted with 19-inch semi-slicks when it set the new record.

Just 400 units will be made to mark the GTI's 40th anniversary. The 2-litre GTI Clubsport S hits 100kmh in 5.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 265kmh.

New supercar

Super Veloce Racing revealed a 360kmh supercar at the London Motor Show on Thursday.

The Noble M600 is powered by a 4.4-litre Yamaha V8 twin-turbo making 662bhp, which is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. The car weighs just 1,198kg, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 553bhp per tonne.

It hits 100kmh in 3.7 seconds.

McLaren F1 for sale

A used F1, chassis #069 - one of the last produced - is up for sale by the British carmaker. It has less than 4,480km on the clock.

The McLaren F1 is regarded by many as the car that rewrote the supercar rule book, with only 64 built between 1993 and 1998.

Car #069 is in "factory condition", McLaren says.

Porsche top executive leaves

The head of development for Porsche has left the car-maker, seven months after he was suspended for possible involvement in Volkswagen's emissions cheating scandal, The New York Times reported.

Mr Wolfgang Hatz, 57, a well-known figure in motoring circles, left Porsche at his own request, the company said.

Mr Hatz was suspended in September last year soon after Volkswagen Group, which is Porsche's parent company, admitted to rigging diesel engines to evade emission tests.

Volkswagen diesel vehicles, as well as some Audi and Porsche models, were programmed to run emissions controls at full capacity only when the cars were being tested.

At other times, they emitted up to 30 times more nitrogen oxides, making them as noxious as models two to three decades ago.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 07, 2016, with the headline 'Fast Lane'. Print Edition | Subscribe

The Straits Times

We have been experiencing some problems with subscriber log-ins and apologise for the inconvenience caused. Until we resolve the issues, subscribers need not log in to access ST Digital articles. But a log-in is still required for our PDFs.